Where are most of you mounting your ELT whip antenna on the 7? I see quite a few in the baggage compartment. That looks as if it would be more shielded from transmitting if you flipped over. Saw one in wingtip, which would be unshielded flipped or not, but would not be so good if wing got ripped off in crash. Speaking of ELTs has anyone used the Kennad Integra Easy, which has a 406 Mhz backup antenna built in as well as an embedded GPS that is independent from the EFIS GPS. Little bit more money than ACK E-04 but has 6yr battery life and 10 yr warranty. Any thoughts appreciated.
Allen
Very slow build 7A

My ACK manual states "The antenna must be mounted externally, on airframes of metallic construction. The antenna should be mounted as close to the ELT transmitter as practical. The coaxial cable connecting the antenna to the ELT transmitter, should not run in close proximity to comm radio coaxial cables, and should avoid crossing aircraft production breaks. (i.e. Riveted fuselage sections) The antenna must be mounted within 30 degrees of vertical, when the
aircraft is in normal flight attitude. The installed antenna must be able to withstand a static load of 100 (one hundred) times itís weight (13 lbs.) applied to the base of the antenna, along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft."

The Kannad Integra Easy's internal GPS antenna only works if unobstructed by the airframe. So in the case of most Van's installations satellite signals would be blocked from the unit when mounted hidden away. In fact the internal GPS doesn't really activate until the impact switch is tripped and after some time it finds itself. So it would come into effect if ejected from the aircraft or if a survivor removed it from the aircraft after activation. There are no provisions for an external GPS antenna cable connector. So your EFIS RS 232 serial data feed will still be primary GPS position during flight just like competitive products. The external feed also eliminates the unit's need to find itself once activated since it has been fed position data continuously from the aicraft navigation GPS.

So while the installation and wiring requirements are typical, the unit's built-in antennas are the real safety benefit for the crew after a crash. Nice feature.

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